People against hallucinogenics always seem to use the argument against hallucinogenics that some people lose their minds, never come back and end up in mental homes? Is this true? My friend doesn't think it is because firstly, he doesn't know anyone who this has happened to and secondly, this argument is extremely prevalent to the point where the argument almost seems stupid in the first place. Here are three separate instances:

1. SWIM was watching a television program where a man and a woman were wandering around a forest looking for edible mushrooms. They found an amanita muscaria mushroom, the man said 'Is this one edible?', the woman replied 'No, that one will send you on a trip but you might never come back.', the man then said 'OH NO we better leave that one'

2. SWIM's doctor told him the danger of hallucinogenics is that some people never come back and are left in a danger of permanent psychosis. According to SWIM's doctor DMT can cause this.

3. A relative of SWIM's told SWIM that she once had a chemist friend who knew how to make LSD and he lost his mind and he currently resides in a mental hospital.

SWIM is a friend of mine, a strange friend, I disagree with his views on drugs, I keep telling him that all drugs have side effects, alcohol is NOT a drug and all drugs lead to heroin addiction eventually but my friend just says 'No, no, no' but that is because he is a stupid person and doesn't understand that DRUGS ARE BAD but I am too smart to use drugs.

Yes, hallucinogen use can trigger persistent psychosis. Would I characterize this as "never coming back"? Probably not. These reactions are generally considered to be a result of the drug triggering a latent predisposition to schizophrenia. Also, there are persistent psychoses from which the individual does return, with time; Ann Shulgin describes experiencing such an event in the first half of TiHKAL.

If you're looking for further information, check out a google scholar search for 'hallucinogens persistent psychosis'.

It's dangerous to believe everything you hear on TV, everything your doctor tells you, and everything other people say without doing a little research.

Very nicely put house. I rarely believe something a person, doctor, etc will tell me for face value. I will always search for information to back the claim up or refute it.

As far as "never coming back", I like to refer to it as "you'll be changed when you're done". I don't believe you'll never come back or, sometimes a fear while tripping, "I'll never come down" You will come back but will do so changed, and it is YOUR job to integrate the information from that trip into reality. Will I have no professional say in the matter, I believe why some people obtain schizophrenic like symptoms is because they can't fully integrate the trip into reality and become dillusional with what reality is.... again just an opinion. (And yes there is the predisposition to mental illnesses too).

Pce,
ElusiveMind

I think it depends on personality and age. I knew a guy many moons ago who committed suicide after ingesting lsd. He was only 16 and the voices in his head never went away so he threw himself under the local train a week after taking the acid.

Experience in the psychadelic mindspace helps deal with traumatic experiences on dmt etc.. as always if it's your first time and you are young then start off with very small doses.

I would say you would never come back if you died. Like say your brain gets flooded with information and pops.

How much information would be needed? I dunno.

I've taken in lots of information, and I'm still here.... probably not as "sane" as the media induced world would like me to be... but whatever.


A lot of these "stories" are just anti-drug propaganda, they have no real background.

There is an appalling amount of wrong information about psychedelics floating around.
I guess when the establishment holds the upper hand for 40 years this is what you get.

The average person is mostly ignorant about these substances . Many people hold incredibly absurd notions about psychedelics.

I love the stories about people taking too many mushrooms and never being the same. How many times have you heard that one ?

most mental issues related to these things seem to stem from pre existing mental problems in people.
Usually people that should never go near these things in the first place.
Dummies doing these things cause ripples that effect everyone trying to do these things in an intelligent focussed manner.

Hello there!

Based on my own subjective experience, the things that I learned and the stuff I heard from others, I would like to state the following in regard to the matter of ‘not coming back’:

“Everybody is coming back from a hallucinogenic experience, but not everybody is able to cope with the newly gained information.” Hearing voices, for example, is in my point of view just a new kind of information, a new ability if you want and not ‘being stuck in a trip’.

It is my own estimate, that given the current global level of the spiritual development of the human race, 80-90% of the people are far better off by not doing any psychedelics in their lives, never.

So, the government/media/doctors are doing a good thing by keeping the folks away from the psychedelics. You wouldn’t let a small child play with a gun or drive a car, would you?

The people who know, who seek, who are ready and who know that they are creating their own life/reality will find this pity anti-psychedelic propaganda pretty amusing. While understanding, that it’s necessary for the safety of the others, who are not ready yet

Light and Love to all of you!

When I first was introduced to drugs the guy that first gave me MDMA commented that LSD would turn you into a mental case. He had no problem popping MDMA all weekend but throughly feared hallucinogens. Ne told the story of a friend from his hometown that dropped acid all the time and ended up believing he was a scuba diver and walked around town in a wet suit, flippers, and mask. Of course there's no way to objectively verify thks story. Personally with cases like this I think users of other drugs cling to these stories out of fear and an excuse to never explore them. Not a bad thing for these kinds of people I guess since it would be a bad idea for them to try them anyhow with such base fear.

I think pharmacologically its obviously impossible to be on a permanent trip. Like mentioned above they have the tendency to bring to the surface latent psychological conditions. They trigger a snap in the mind that brings issues to the surface. And I would also agree that though you always come down you also always come down changed permanently. I know after I first dosed acid I have never been the same. Insanity no, alter perceptions of the world yes.

Don't buy the drug war hype. Do your research. Safety first. Know your limits. If you have pre-existing mental issues or think somethings buried deep inside proceed with extreme caution.

when i foolishly tried datura i tripped hard for around 3 or 4weeks, took near on 6 months to come even close to normal. That's if i ever was to start with. No other substance has done anything like that to me.

"Ne told the story of a friend from his hometown that dropped acid all the time and ended up believing he was a scuba diver and walked around town in a wet suit, flippers, and mask"

He is probly full of shit I think. Every place seems to have some kind of story like that..from guys thinking they are oranges trying to peel themselves to friends who permanently believe they are giant spiders..

Some people might have anxiety/paranoia after and issues do to not fully integrating..that I can see..but that is way different than the situations stated above..